Mirror Flower: Midnight Dance
by OmniousInsinuation
Summary: "He does not fear anything anymore. He believes he is truly immortal. That is not true however. At least... not yet."
1. Chapter 1

**==Insert General Disclaimer here==**

_"italics" = english_

_'italics' = thoughts_

_**'bold italics' = zanpakuto/hollow**  
_

* * *

"It's going to be okay. You're going to a better place." Ichigo said as he tapped the hilt to the girls head. As the girl started to fade from existence she shot a glare at Ichigo.

"_I didn't even understand what you were saying, bakayaro."_

"Eh?" Ichigo rubbed the back of his head, confusion written all over his face. "Do you know what she said Rukia?"

"Nope. She must be a foreigner. Her soul should go back to the proper society anyways so don't worry yourself over it." Rukia told him.

What she didn't know was that the spirit was conflicted as to which one it should go to. One half wanted to go to North America where she was born, and the other to China where she felt at home. In it's confusion it ended up being whisked away to Rukongai where it was assigned a district like all the others.

**-linebreak-**

"_Junrinan? Is that where I'm going? Jeez, thank god I watched lots of anime as a child. At least I'll know thank you." _The girl muttered as she was dropped off at the district.

She looked around the area and sighed. She couldn't read any of the signs, though some kanji did seem familiar to her. She hardly understood what anyone was saying, only catching useless words such as thank you and a few greetings.

"Hey! Move out of the way!"

The girl turned around to see a group of rowdy looking boys headed her way. They were loud and obnoxious by the looks of it and most of the crowd around them seemed quite annoyed.

They were almost up in her face now with who she assumed to be the leader standing in front with his arms crossed. "Didn't you hear me? Move out of the way!" He snarled, his hand pulling back to give her a shove.

She sidestepped the hand and grabbed it, twisting the limb around into an arm bar.

"_I should just break this off. I'll be doing the town a favor it seems." _She muttered, applying pressure.

Suddenly she was grabbed from behind and thrown to the ground.

She hit the dirt road harshly and winced as her hands and arms scraped against the rocks. The girl moved to get up but was forced down to the ground again by a solid kick to the side.

"_I forgot about his friends." _She grunted, clenching her teeth from the pain of the onslaught of attacks directed towards her.

"You got a death wish stupid? Next time we won't be so nice. C'mon boys." The leader ordered.

She watched them walk away and cursed them with every step they took. Her vision blurred and she felt herself being picked up off the ground and carried somewhere. She could also make out the sounds of someone talking and then the smell of an old house. Not rotting, just old.

"Lay her down here. My grandchildren are hardly home anymore. They won't mind."

She could feel the soft surface of whatever she laid on, a bed probably, and let out a small noise as she felt her clothes being removed. _'They must being treating my injuries… I should thank them.'_

"Arigatou gozaimasu." She mumbled.

"Sleep now child. There will be plenty of time for talking in the morning." The old lady told her with a smile.

The girl nodded and closed her eyes as sleep took her faster than the old lady could leave the room.

**-linebreak-**

When she woke up later she noticed that she wasn't alone.

Peeking her eye open she looked at the person who was occupying the room and hoped they wouldn't notice.

"So you're up are you? What is your name?"

It was the old lady again.

"_I'm sorry but I don't know Japanese." _The girl said as she sat up. She watched the old lady with hope that she knew a little English.

The old lady looked at her in confusion for a moment before pointing to herself. "O-baa-chan."

"O-baa-chan." The girl repeated the name and then pointed to herself. "Mei-yin."

"It seems I have much to teach you child." She smiled. "But it is very nice to meet you Mei-yin."

Mei-yin only understood her name but smiled back knowing the old lady was saying something good.

**-linebreak-**

_A year later…._

With Obaachan's lessons Mei-yin was now able to understand most of what was being said to her and was able to produce a few phrases. It took her a while to do either of these things and because of this she was often mocked by the other children for being slow. It didn't help that she would yell at them a few minutes after the insults were delivered.

She could also read to some extent and recognized most of the characters immediately. She struggled with the kanji except for the familiar ones that she had come across when she had learned Chinese before.

Despite the accomplishments she had made in learning the language she still lacked the confidence she had before her death, specifically before the first day in Junrinan. She had taken up practicing her katas in a secluded area where few people passed by. They would never match up to a shinigami's level but they could at least help her against that group from the tenth district that liked to pass by now and again.

She also learned how to control the power that lay within her a little better. She could always feel it there ever since she was a child and had managed to keep it under control and under cover. The better she hid it the less the monsters would come after her. But it seemed after her death the power had increased and so she had to relearn how to hide it once again.

Watching the shinigami that passed by on occasion she had learned how to use this power to do things she never thought was possible before. She could walk on water, on air even and move long distances with a single step.

Everyday she would practice, using all her free time on exercises that would help her control the power she felt and the techniques she learned how to use. It left her with a gnawing hunger but also the satisfaction of the accomplishments she had made.

"Tadaima Obaachan!" Mei-yin called out, slipping off her shoes.

"In the kitchen dear, we have a guest over come introduce yourself." The old lady called out.

Mer-yin walked into the kitchen and saw a shinigami in the kitchen with her obaachan.

'_I can't believe I think of her as my grandmother already.' _She thought.

"Hello! My name is Hinamori Momo. I used to live with Obaachan before I became a shinigami." She said with a small bow.

Mei-yin bowed back. "Ah… my name is Mei-yin. To Mei-yin."

"So I see you've managed to replace us finally Obaachan." Momo giggled.

"Don't be silly child. I could never replace you or Toshirou." Her grandmother chuckled. "She's been here for a few months now and we've made lots of progress. The poor girl hardly understood any Japanese when she came."

"Really? I've never heard of that happening before." Momo gasped.

Mei-yin seemed to shrink back at this topic. She could only barely keep up with the conversation but she could understand what they were talking about at least.

"Mhmm. It is unusual but it does happen occasionally." Her grandmother told her. "But enough of that. Why don't we get some tea? Could you put the kettle on Mei?"

Mei-yin nodded and went to go boil the kettle. She caught her reflection on it's surface and smiled a little, she still looked the same as the day she died.

Her hair was a light blue, with some spots fading to silver. It was held up in a short ponytail with only the bangs loose which framed both sides of her face. She wore a black eye patch over her left eye and the right one was a dark brown. Her skin was pale and slightly burnt in some spots from when she had been out in the sun too long. Those seemed to be fading though.

She sighed as she examined the dark roots of her hair. It seems her aging has slowed considerably as her hair had hardly grown at all. _"I wonder how long I'll be stuck here for."_ She asked herself.

'_**For many years to come master.'**_

'_I guess without my pills now you can talk to me more and more can't you?'_

'_**Later on you will come to realize that I am more than a simple figment of your imagination. Ask the shinigami she can tell you.'**_

The piercing whistle of the kettle broke her from her thoughts.

Mei-yin thought about what the voice said as she served the tea, glancing at the shinigami at the table every so often.

"Hinamori-san?"

"Call me Momo." She smiled.

Mei-yin nodded and continued. "What…ahh… is it normal to hear voices?" She asked carefully, hoping the shinigami would understand what she was asking.

"You mean voices as in people talking, or voices in your mind?" She asked.

"In your mind. There is a… thing. It talks to me often, more now…. now that I am dead. It says you may know." Mei-yin nodded.

Momo gasped. "That's a zanpakuto! Have you heard it's name?"

"Only pieces now. I can't… couldn't hear it before at all." Mei-yin watched as different expressions flashed across her face. One almost seemed to be of worry directed towards… obaachan?

"Don't worry Momo-chan, nothing has happened yet." She smiled. "Actually, if it weren't for the fact she gets hungry I'd say she was completely normal."

Momo nodded and let out a sigh of relief. "Shiro-chan used to hear his zanpakuto in dreams." She told mei-yin. "But by the feel of it you shouldn't have to worry much." She smiled.

Mei-yin nodded. "So a zanpakuto…that's your blade right? How… how does mine speak when I do not have one?"

"It's a piece of your soul. You usually get a normal sword before your zanpakuto manifests though, and that's only if you go to the academy." Momo explained.

"Ah, arigatou Momo-san."

"Are you going to become a shinigami Mei-chan?" Obaachan asked.

"Maybe." Mei-yin said, her voice a little distant.

"Maybe one day you will end up in my division or even in Shiro-chan's." Momo said excitedly. "Ah! Look at the time! I was supposed to be back at my division ten minutes ago!"

The small shinigami got up quickly and waved goodbye to them both. "Bye Obaachan, Mei-chan."

"Come visit soon Momo, I'll be waiting." Her grandmother smiled.

Momo nodded and quickly shunpoed out towards the sereitei.

"I hear they will be starting to take in applications next month. Be sure to keep practicing on your Japanese."

"Hai Obaachan." Mei nodded, running off to start her studies.

"Such wonderful grandchildren I have." The old lady smiled to herself, sipping her tea contentedly.


	2. Chapter 2

**_2 months later…._**

"I'll visit on my days off Obaachan." Mei-yin said as she hugged her grandmother goodbye.

She was finally accepted into the Shino academy in the first class. "Thank you for everything Obaachan." She smiled.

"I know you'll make a fine shinigami Mei-chan. Just do your best."

Mei-yin nodded and headed off with the rest of the group. She waved to her grandmother for a final time, her heart growing heavy with each step.

_'How many more family members will I abandon?'_

"Here are your assigned rooms. Each of you will have a roomate so please try and get along."

Mei-yin took the slip of paper that was handed to her. "Room 105... Room 105.…ah."

Entering the room she saw that the other bed was already occupied. "Oh. Hello. My name is Mei-yin. I suppose you are my roomate?" She smiled, giving a small bow to the stranger.

The girl examined Mei-yin from head to toe. "You don't seem like much. I'm Yuugi. Nice to meet you." She grinned.

The girl was busty and a lot taller than Mei-yin. Her blonde hair fell down to her lower back in a messy style that seemed to go along with her piercing blue eyes.

All in all she looked like a menacing character.

"You're kinda cute though." Yuugi said coming up behind her and cupping her breasts. "DD… nice. Kinda short though. What are you a midget?"

"I'm 5'2" I'll have you know!" Mei-yin huffed, moving away from her creepy roomate.

"Short. Like I said. I'm six feet even myself." She grinned. "So what's with the patch?"

"I can't see on that side and people don't like looking at it." Mei-yin said quietly.

"Ah, sorry. You might wanna keep it off though. Even if it is scary to look at people won't target that side if they don't know you're blind." She pointed out.

"I never thought of it that way." Mei-yin nodded, undoing the eye patch.

The pupil of the eye underneath was a sickly yellow color and had no iris to it. The sclera was slightly dented causing the eyelid to droop just slightly.

"There ya go. It's not that bad to look at. Makes ya look scarier." Yuugi commented as she examined it. "Well actually it is kinda gross to look at, but kinda cool too."

"Maybe I should just keep it on." Mei-yin sighed.

She didn't know why she was so comfortable with this person she just met. Perhaps it was because she seemed so much like her best friend. A friend she no longer had.

'I want to go home….'

"Classes don't start until tomorrow so I'm going drinking. Wanna come?" Yuugi asked her new roomate.

Mei-yin made a face and shook her head. "I don't do so well with alcohol."

"Suit yourself." Yuugi shrugged before waltzing out the door.

Mei-yin stared at the spot Yuugi had just been in for a moment, lost in thought.

**_'Perhaps you should continue your training master.'_**

_'Hai. I almost have the formula for the gaps completed.'_

**_'It was already complete. You just need to remember.'_**

_'I'm not the person you think I am anymore.'_

_**'You may have lost your memories master, but I still remember and I shall be by your side always.'**_

_'And for that I thank you Kyo._'

Mei-yin was gone in a flash heading out to find a secluded area to train in as she moved with fluid flash steps. She didn't notice the shinigami that had seen her passing by.

Stepping into the clearing that seemed to be deserted she started to put up her barriers as Kyo had taught her. She then sat in the middle of the clearing, entering her inner world.

She stared out into the vast pool of water that seemed endless. The sky above was littered with stars but the light was nothing compared to the moon's glow that radiated from the reflection in the water. The strangest thing about it was that there was no moon hanging in that night sky.

_**"Are you up for another year of training master?"**_

_"You know my answer Kyo."_ Mei-yin replied, answering the soft-spoken voice of her zanpakuto.

====  
**_2 years later._**

Mei-yin snarled as she pushed her opponent back. She continued on the offense before finally gaining the upper hand and forcing her opponent to forfeit.

"Well done! Your Zanjustsu has improved a lot." Yuugi commented as Mei-yin returned to her spot.

"You're still a lot better than I am." Mei-yin smiled. "I saw how fast you took down your opponent."

"It's a gift." Her friend smirked.

"I guess mine is all sucked into Kido." Mei-yin nodded. "I guess I stole all your talent in that and you took all mine for zanjutsu!"

Over the past two years Mei-yin and Yuugi both were bumped up a few years for their talent and high marks in the academy. Mei-yin excelled in Kido while Yuugi completely dominated the zanjutsu class. The only thing that kept them from graduating was their struggles with the opposite class.

Mei-yin couldn't get comfortable enough with the sword they were given to use in the academy for some reason. Yuugi on the other hand couldn't quite control her kido well enough.

Both girls decided that they would tutor each other after they noticed each others strengths and soon started to improve. It took a lot of hard work and cost them most of their free time, including Mei-yin's visits to grandmother's.

Today wasn't one of those days though. As she bid goodbye to her roomate she headed over to her Obaachan's for a long due visit.

"Tadaima Obaachan!" Mei-yin called out, hurrying in to see her grandmother.

In her haste she didn't see the stranger in the living room until it was too late.

Mei-yin crashed into the newcomer, sending them both to the ground.

"Bakayaro! Watch where you're going! Who are you anyways? I've never seen you around before."

Mei-yin looked up at the stranger. It was another shinigami. Not only that but a taichou as well. "Gomen. I didn't think anyone would be here. It's usually just Obaachan… I've never seen you before either. Wait! You must be Shiro-chan!" She said, remembering Momo and her Obaachan talking about him.

"That's Hitsugaya-taichou to you." He huffed. Straightening his clothes.

Toshirou seemed to have grown a but over the years, now reaching 5'4" and finally taller than his zanpakuto. He still kept it strapped to his back however. His hair was still in it's new/old stlyle with the bang hanging over the left side of his face. His scarf seemed a little tattered but mostly in good condition nonetheless.

"I apologize. I only assumed it was your name from the stories Momo-chan and Obaachan tell all the time. My name is Mei-yin." She said with a bow.

"Ah Shiro-chan, is everything all right?" Their grandmother asked as she came out. "Ah Mei-chan! It's about time you visited. I was starting to wonder if you would turn out like my grandson, only showing up once in a blue moon."

"A-ah! Obaachan! I visit more often then that…" Toshirou muttered under his breath.

"I'm sorry grandmother. We've been so busy at the academy. Yuugi and I might even have a chance to graduate this year." Mei-yin smiled.

"What division will you be applying for?" Toshirou asked, slightly curious.

"I'm not sure yet… I was thinking the tenth since they seem to do a lot of missions in the living world…." She said a little distantly.

"Hn. You will have to show me your worth if you think I'm going to send you out on that kind of mission." He smirked.

"Y-you're the tenth captain?" Mei-yin gasped, her face turning red from embarrassment.  
_'I'll never get into the squad now! Not even an official shinigami and I'm already on the captain's bad side.'_

"Anyways, I have paperwork to finish. I'll come visit soon Obaachan. I promise." He said as he left.

"I'll hold you to it Shiro-chan." The old lady smiled.

"Mei, will you be staying the night?" Her obaachan asked.

Mei-yin nodded. "Hai."

"Momo-chan is coming to visit later tonight. How about we get some nice peaches for her?"

"Sure." Mei-yin smiled, grabbing a basket.

The voice of Yamamoto boomed throughout Soul society.

**"Attention all shinigami! Aizen Sosuke has escaped! I repeat! Aizen Sosuke has escaped! Tartget is to be restrained on sight! Aim to kill!"**

Aizen merely smirked. There was no way they could fight against him. Behind him was a bloody path covered with the bodies of the lower rank shinigami he had come across.

He reached the gate of west Rukongai and opened it effortlessly. A single look at Jidanbo was all it took for the giant gatekeeper to crumple under the enormous pressure he leaked.

He calmly shunpoed to his destination, hiding his presence as he neared the door and knocked.

"Konbanwa. Can I help you?"

He looked at the blue haired girl who answered the door. She obviously didn't know who he was as she showed no hint of recognition other than the fact he was a shinigami.

"I'm here to see Momo-Chan. She is my lieutenant." He smiled at the girl.

"Hai! Just one moment please." Mei-yin nodded before running off to get Momo.

Aizen followed the girl in the house grinning as he saw the one he was looking for.

"A-Aizen-taichou…" Momo gasped, fear flashing across her face as she reached for her zanpakuto.

"Now now Momo dear. No reason to get hostile. After all, you wouldn't want something happening to your dear grandmother do you?" he asked, releasing his reiatsu a little.

The old lady crumpled to the ground and Momo went to her side immediately. "Obaachan! Are you alright?"

Her grandmother didn't respond. The pressure had knocked the frail woman out cold.

"Now Momo-chan, come with me quietly and I assure you nothing will happen to your dear grandmother." He smiled with fake kindness.

"I cannot Aizen-taichou! I cannot forgive you for what you have done to the Sereitei! To the Shinigami! To Shiro-chan and I!" She said, gripping her zanpakuto's hilt tightly as she pointed the blade at Aizen.

"I don't think you have much of a choice." He said as he stepped towards her, clearly not intimidated by this display.

"Shatter, Kyoka Suigetsu!"

Aizen watched as the three ladies shattered in front of him and disappeared from his vision. The expression on his face remained the same but on the inside he was seething in anger.

Outside of the house Momo and Mei-yin ran towards she Sereitei, the former carrying their poor granny.

"He's following us!" Mei-yin exclaimed, reaching for her zanpakuto again.

Momo didn't dare look behind her as she neared the gates. "Can you throw him off for a moment? We need to get inside."

"Of course Momo-chan."

But it wasn't Mei-yin that had replied.

Momo froze and nearly dropped Obaachan. "Aizen-taichou…"

"You didn't really think you could run from me did you?" He asked her as he withdrew his hand from Mei-yin's chest. It reminded him of the former quatro espada.

Momo watched as the blue-haired girl slumped to the ground. "Please, Aizen-taichou… Why?"

The man just smiled as he knocked out his former lieutenant and carried her through the garganta.

"Yamamoto-Soutaichou, there is no sign of the traitor anywhere other than the dead. We are searching Rukongai now but we feel he has already made his escape."

"I see. Continue the search. Should nothing turn up in Rukongai we must prepare for war once more." The head-captain ordered. "Have someone send for Urahara Kisuke, Yoruichi Shihoin, Tessai Sukabishi, and Ichigo Kurosaki."

The messenger bowed and left immediately.

The head-captain was deep in thought. He already had several teams investigating the escape of the former fifth captain and had found the ones guilty for assisting him. When they went to go interrogate them however, the bodies seemed to melt away and left them with nothing. It seemed like the work of Kyoka's hypnotic abilities but Aizen no longer had a zanpakuto.

His thoughts were interrupted however by the arrival of the other captains and his requested guests.

It was time to begin.

"As most of you know, tonight as of 23:00 Sosuke Aizen has escaped from his prison." He began. "We do not yet know of his intentions and we can only assume he will attempt what he has tried to accomplish before. We must once again prepare for war in the case he tries to rally his arrancar army once again. Even if he does not he is a strong opponent alone as we all know. The four of you are to remain on the lookout for any signs or information on Aizen and his plans. You must relay any information to us immediately."

The four Karakura residents nodded.

"Hinamori-fukutaichou seems to have gone with the traitor as well." He continued.

Toshirou's head snapped towards the soutaichou instantly. "Momo…" He whispered, his hands clenching at his sides.

"It seems though that she has been taken against her will during her attempt to escape from the traitor when he approached her in Junrinan." Yamamoto said solemnly. "Under no circumstances are any of you to attempt to rescue her. That goes for any of your subordinates as well." He ordered. "It is too dangerous and Soul Society cannot afford to lose any more forces as it is. We must prepare for war once more."

The silence between his speech was almost deafening.

"Furthermore, it appears that the zanpakuto Kyoka Suigetsu has appeared once more. So everyone is to take extreme caution around any abnormalities you may see. It seems it was the zanpakuto that was the main cause of Aizen's escape."

At this the captains began to murmur in disbelief.

"But wasn't his zanpakuto destroyed or something?" Ichigo asked.

"No." Urahara said, hiding his face behind the fan of his. "We don't know that it was destroyed for certain, only that the Hogyoku made it disappear. For all we know it could have been returned to Aizen since then."

"That is correct." Yamamoto nodded. "Kurosaki Ichigo. Should you see or detect Aizen in Karakura you are to call for backup immediately. We will give you a communicator so that you can contact us at any time. Kurotsuchi-taichou will give this to you after the meeting."

The captain commander then slammed his staff into the ground, capturing everyone's attention.

"You are all dismissed." He said finally.

As the captains all moved to head towards their respective divisions Toshirou was stopped by a hand on his shoulder. "Hitsugaya-taichou."

The small captain turned to see Unohana standing behind him.

"Your grandmother is at my division. It seems she was caught in the crossfire between whatever happened when Hinamori-san was taken. She's doing well now but she's still weak."

"She's not hurt is she?" Toshirou asked softly.

"No. She merely collapsed from the exposure to such heavy reiatsu. But the events have taken a toll on her body and anymore incidents like this is likely to kill her. She will be staying the night in the division to return her strength before she goes home. I do believe she asked someone to see if you could visit her."

"Could you show me where she is? I'll go see her now." He nodded.

"Of course." Unohana smiled.

The two taichous headed towards the fourth division where many of the wounded seemed to be resting. The number was much smaller compared to the amount of deaths. Thanks to the decrease in their forces chances were they would be graduating students from the academy earlier than planned to replace them.

Unohana led the icy captain to the room his grandmother was in before moving on to help more of the wounded.

Toshirou opened the door slowly and entered.

"Obaachan?" He asked, closing the door behind him.

The frail old woman looked up at him from the bed she was resting in. "Ah Shiro-chan. I knew you would come." She smiled.

She reached up and took his hand in hers with a sad smile.

"Shiro-chan. I do believe my time is nearing. I can feel my soul preparing to move on. Now, don't give me that look. We both knew it was going to happen eventually. Perhaps in the next life you will be my grandfather when I reach the soul society." She chuckled.

"Obaachan…" Toshiro whispered softly, holding back his tears. He couldn't cry. He was strong. He would smile for his grandmother and keep her happy.

"Now my little Shiro. Promise me you'll keep Momo-chan and Mei-chan safe will you?

"Hai Obaachan." He nodded. He didn't have the heart to tell her Momo was taken hostage. It was better that she was left not knowing.

"You make me so proud Shiro-chan. I'm so glad to have had such wonderful grandchildren like you…." She sighed, giving him one last smile before her eyes closed and her final breath left her body.

Toshirou held on tight as his grandmothers body dissolved into millions of tiny light that floated away and faded into the next life. His now empty hand was clenched into a fist as he finally let the tears flow.

He remained there for several minutes before regaining his composure. He unclenched his hand and looked out at the moon that hung low in the sky. "I promise Obaachan." He whispered.


	3. Chapter 3

The next day Mei-yin returned to the academy, her wounds completely healed thanks to the 4th division.

"Mei-chan! Did you hear? The traitor escaped last night." Yuugi said as she ran up to her roomate.

"I know…" Mei-yin said quietly.

"What's wrong? Are you okay? Did something happen last night?" Yuugi asked her, her playful attitude dropping.

"Obaachan passed on last night. Unohana-taichou told me…" She whispered.

Yuugi nodded and pulled her friend into a hug. "It's okay though. That just means she was finally at peace." She told Mei-yin.

Mei-yin nodded and gave her roommate a small smile. "Yeah…. Thank you Yuugi."

The two headed to class in an unusual silence. The rest of the students in class were whispering excitedly to each other.

"Wait. There's other people in this class. Why are there so many new people here?" Mei-yin asked Yuugi as she looked at the large amount of people in the classroom.

"I don't know… the teacher is here now so we'll know soon I bet." Yuugi replied with a shrug.

"Good Morning everyone. You're probably wondering why you are all gathered here now. Due to a large decrease in numbers from the attack last night we have picked all the students we thought were most capable to replace the lost shinigami. You were all very close to graduating anyways so it shouldn't make that much of a difference." Gengoro began. "However, don't let this get to your head. You are all still more inexperienced than we would prefer and because of this we have prepared a test for you all. It is combined with your living world excursion. Each of you will be assigned into teams of five and then sent off to perform konso on the souls in your assigned area. There will be a shinigami there to supervise and grade you on your abilities."

The students started to talk in hushed voices about the trip, wondering who would be on their teams and where they would be going.

"Each of you take a number and head to the assigned station." The assistant teacher said, holding out a box with slips of paper inside.

Mei-yin waited in line and eventually took her number.

"What one did you get?" Yuugi asked her.

"I got 12." Mei-yin said, showing her the paper.

"Shame. I'm in 5. Good luck." She grinned before heading to her station.

Mei-yin nodded and did the same.

When she got there she noticed she was the only girl in the group.

"Don't slow us down shorty." One of the guys scoffed but was quickly pushed to the side by two others.

"Don't mind him. That's Asai. He thinks he's tough stuff. I'm Nori by the way." He smiled. He seemed to be of average height and was rather slim. He had the typical asian look, dark eyes and dark hair.

"I'm Torido." The one next to him ginned. "I'm his identical twin if you haven't noticed already."

The last guy stayed in the corner and pushed his glasses back up. "I'm Hyorin." He nodded, smoothing back his light brown hair.

Asai shot Mei-yin a look. "What's your name shorty?"

Mei-yin looked at him. He didn't seem that tough. His hair was actually a dark shade of pink reminded her of bubblegum. His matching eyes only seemed to add to the effect.

"Mei-yin." She said, trying to hide her amusement.

"Right. Now that we're all acquainted I think it's time to go."

The group turned to see their shinigami supervisor opening the senkaimon. "I'm Abarai Renji." He said before leading the five of them towards their test.

"Remember, I'm only here to watch. You guys are on your own with this one." Renji warned as they approached the end.

The six of them exited the senkaimon finding themselves close to Karakura High School. "A high school? Haven't been to one of those in a while." Mei-yin chuckled to herself.

"You've been to a human school?" Torido asked in surprise. "How old are you? Have you been sneaking to the human world or something?"

"What!? No! I only died a few years ago…" She mumbled.

"You remember your past life?" Nori questioned. "Not many people remember so much… But then again you only died a few years ago like you said. Most people in the academy have been here for at least a decade."

"I suppose. I don't want to forget though…" Mei-yin whispered.

"Now's not the time for yakin' we gotta find ourselves some souls." Asai yelled over to them.

"Hai. Hai. So demanding." Nori and Torido sighed in unison.

"I can feel a soul over to the north-east." Hyorin told them.

"Lets go then." Asai nodded, heading in that direction.

Mei-yin followed the group as they headed towards the plus soul. She hung back behind the group. For some reason she felt uneasy.

"Do you feel it as well?"

Mei-yin nodded to Hyorin who had fallen back with her. "It's hiding. Whatever it is. I'm assuming a hollow. Most likely after the plus." He told her.

The two watched as the three others gave the 'it's a better place' speech before Asai sent the shivering soul on it's way. "That wasn't so hard." Asai commented.

He regretted those words a moment later.

**"I guess we'll have a feast tonight boys."**

The sickening presence of several hollows washed over the group. There were three hollows that looked like horrible experiments gone wrong.

**"Looks like an easy fight.**" The hollow in the middle commented. It looked like a freakishly tall man with tree like limbs. Black sludge oozed from its deformed mouth and burnt the ground below.

The hollow to the left grunted. This one was all muscle. Literally. Mei-yin could see the cracks forming in the ground as it walked.

The last hollow laughed manically, it's body reminding her of a giant slug. It's mask had several disfigured horns, each looking like a mangled tree root.

"We'll have to split up. I'll take the tree guy." Asai told the others.

Nori and Torido nodded. "We'll get muscle man over here."

Hyorin looked towards Mei-yin. "There's one more. It's hiding it's presence. It's most likely the one that hid the others. I'll go after that one."

Mei-yin shuddered. That left her with the slug. Great. "I'll need some salt for this guy."

They seemed to have finished planning just in time as a huge chunk of what used to be the road went flying past their faces.

They each branched off, attacking their hollows and catching their attention.

Mei-yin turned to face the hollow once she was far enough away.

"Weak." She murmured, letting a blast fly from her fingertips at the creature.

The hollow roared as the attack left a gaping hole in it's body.

**"A CERO? HOW!?"** He snarled, letting loose one of his own. **"DIE SHINIGAMI SCUM!"**

Mei-yin countered with another blast of it's own. "It's not a cero. It's simply an imitation. A shinigami version I suppose you could call it. Not that there's much to your technique. You're simply gathering energy and shooting it off."

The hollow shook in rage, the blood from the wound spraying everywhere.

Mei-yin shielded her face from the bloody shower. "Disgusting." She spat. "Is that all you can do?"

In a flash she reappeared in front of the beasts face, slashing downwards as she charged the blade with reiatsu. The mask split cleanly in two and started to fall for a moment before dissolving completely.

"Now to help the others." She said to herself.

On her way over she started to feel a slight burning on her arms and side. She looked down to see most of her uniform in the area had corroded away from the blood. "Shit! It was acidic!"

"Mei-yin! Watch out!"

Her head snapped up just in time to dodge the blast sent at her from the hollow Hyorin was fighting.

"Be careful. He's tough." Hyorin warned. He was gripping his side which was saturated in blood. Looking closer it seemed like there was a chunk missing.

"Switch out. Watch my back." She told him.

He nodded and let her take over. He was in no condition to continue fighting.

Mei-yin scanned the area. There was no sign of the hollow save for the slightest bit of it's reiatsu.

'It's below!' she realized suddenly as the hollow's reiatsu peaked and she was blown off the rooftop.

"Shit… It hides in the shadows! Stay sharp!" She called out to Hyorin.

"I know. That's how it got me last time." He called back with a wince.

"Lets see how well you do when the darkness is no longer on your side." Mei-yin mumbled, pointing her hand towards her own shadow.

The shadow twitched slightly as she kept her hand hovering over it. She seemed to find what she was looking for as her hand clenched into a fist and then swung away as if throwing something heavy.

The hollow screeched in anger, causing the two to cover their ears in pain. **"WHAT DID YOU DO!?"**

Furious, the hollow leaped at Mei-yin and pinned her to the side of the building. All she would see was it's disgusting bulging eyes shooting around in every direction. Hyorin moved to attack the lizard shaped hollow but it's erratic eyes caught him and he was slammed into the roof by it's thick tail.

The thing's breath reeked of rotten flesh, the stench rolling off it in waves as it screamed at her.

**"FIX IT! FIX IT!"** It roared, digging it's deformed claws into her body as it crushed her.

Mei-yin could feel the rage building inside her. How dare he demand her for entrance into the shadows!

_"You dare order ME?"_ She hissed at it, her eye glowing as her reiatsu increased. _"The shadows were mine as soon as I stepped into this world."_  
As soon as the words left her lips the shadows rose up, impaling the hollow and keeping it in place.

_"I'll take this as payment then._" She grinned. Her hand reached up to the hollows mask and ripped it clean off it's face.

The hollow screamed in pain, it's eyes showing it's fear of this figure before it. It didn't last long however as the shadows pulled the creature into the darkness limb by limb.

Hyorin leaned heavily against a large piece of debris still clutching his side. He watched with a mixture of fear and curiosity as Mei-yin turned towards him.

"Ah… It happened again didn't it?" She whispered reaching her hand towards him.

"Watch out!" Hyorin exclaimed as he caught her. But she didn't hear him. It seemed the wounds had taken a toll on her body. She had deep holes running along each side of her where the claws had pierced through. Hyorin could feel the broken bones shifting if he moved her.

He wasn't any better off either. He was sure he had several fractures along his left side where he had crashed into the building. There was still that chunk missing from his side too.

It seemed like ages before help finally arrived. Renji informed him that the others were fine and were already back in the Sereitei.

The medical team that was brought along started treating them immediately. Mei-yin had to be carried back while Hyorin managed to leave at a slow walk supported by Renji.

"Ah. By the way, there was an explosion of unfamiliar reiatsu around the area you were in. It seemed pretty powerful too. Did you see where it came from?" Renji asked.

Hyorin shook his head. "We didn't see anything. The hollow was clouding our senses." He lied easily.

Renji gave him a strange look. "Are you sure? I could have sworn…" he trailed off and then shook his head.

Hyorin shrugged, causing him to wince slightly as is agitated his wounds. _'What exactly are you, Mey-yin?'_

* * *

Amesake Yuugi had come back from her mission relatively unscathed. Her teammates were a little worse for wear but they were being healed so they would be fine.

A lot of the students that were there yesterday didn't show up for their "graduation" since they were either killed or too injured to come. It wasn't really a formal graduation ceremony anyways. There was simply no time for that now that they were preparing for war once more. They were instead handed a sheet of paper with their evaluation results and told which division representative to follow.

Yuugi ended up following some guy named Madarame Ikkaku. He led her and the rest of the guys through a tour of the Sereitei (which excluded the fourth and twelfth division for some reason) and finally ended at what would be their new home.

The lone female felt at home immediately despite the gender ratio. Everyone in the division was either sparring or training. It was the perfect division for her.

Ikkaku directed the men to their barracks while another member passed out the uniforms. They received three each from the fifth seat who was apparently named Ayasegawa Yumichika. She thanked him and headed over to where the rest were going when she was stopped by Ikkaku.  
"Ah wait. You're not bunking with them. There's no female barracks as such here so you'll be staying with Yachiru-fukutaichou. She already agreed to it as soon as she heard another woman was joining the division." He said as he led her towards the small building. For some reason Ikkaku had a look of dread on his face as they approached the door.

"Yachiru-fukutaichou? The new recruit is here." He called out.

"YAY! Baldy is here!"

The door was flung open to reveal a short pink haired girl whom Yuugi assumed to be Yachiru. "Where's the newbie?" She asked, looking around excitedly.

"Right here." Ikkaku sighed, pushing Yuugi to the front.

"Hi! I'm Yachiru-chan!" The giggling fukutaichou said with a wave. "What's your name? You smell like sake. That's your new name now. Sake. Sake! SAKE!" She cheered.

"Uhh… ok?" Yuugi agreed in confusion.

A large man appeared from behind Yachiru. "The shrimpy Taichou from next door dropped off all the candy Ukitake gave him. She's been like that since." He grumbled. "What's your name blondie?"

Yuugi straightened up and gave him a salute. "Amesake Yuugi at your service." She grinned.

"You don't look like much. We'll see how well you do tomorrow morning Blondie. I don't like wimps." He grinned.

"Hai Taichou!" Yuugi nodded.

Yachiru pounced on her from behind. "Just call him Ken-chan, Sake-chan." She chirped.

* * *

Back in the fourth division Hyorin was waiting beside Mei-yin. He had been there for almost an entire day now since they had come back and he was sure the rest of his team were already in their divisions.

Not that he was waiting because he cared though. He was simply curious and he wanted answers. There was also the little fact that the fourth division members weren't letting him leave until he was completely healed.

He watched as Mei-yin stirred and finally opened her eyes.

"I was wondering when you'd be up." He started. "Renji-san was asking about the strange reiatsu he felt earlier. So before I go and rat you out why don't you tell me what it was exactly."

Mei-yin stared at him for a moment as her mind processed the request. Once it sunk in her stare hardened and she sat up to speak properly. "I don't see why it concerns you so much." She hissed.

"I'm curious as to what happened as much as the next person. As I recall you said yourself it wasn't the first time." He hummed.

"Now is not the time. You're not able to handle the information in your state now." Mei-yin said coldly. "You haven't even achieved Shikai yet have you?"

It was his turn to glare now as she continued. "Let's make a deal. You tell me when you've reached Bankai, and I'll tell you what you'd like to know. As of right now I can't risk involving you in such a matter." She finished. 'Especially if I don't remember it all myself.' She added mentally.

Hyorin looked like he wanted to argue further but was stopped as the shinigami who had been healing him before returned with more supplies.

"Just a little longer and the infection should be cleared out." She informed him. She then turned to Mei-yin. "And as for you, you may leave whenever you wish. Just take it easy for a while since you might still be a little sore." She told her. "There's a piece of paper there on the stand for you as well. The academy instructors dropped it off earlier."

Mei-yin nodded and thanked her before taking the sheet of paper and getting up to leave. She felt a little stiff from being in bed for so long.

She stretched a little and started out the door, not before turning to give Hyorin one last glance.

Hyorin caught her gaze past the shinigami and gave her a slight nod which she returned.

"I'll be waiting." She said to him as she closed the door behind her.

She knew that she would have ten years at the very least before she had to worry about him again. The only thing now was to keep herself in check in front of the other shinigami.

Mei-yin checked her paper for the second time and sighed. It seemed she was assigned to the division she had hoped to be in, not that it made her feel any better.

The thought of seeing the captain again brought back the memory of the night before. Would he blame her? Momo had put her trust in her to help them get away and she had failed them all. She was the real reason Momo and Obaachan were gone.

_"Just like Mei-li…"_ She whispered.

She looked up at the entrance of the tenth division for a moment as she stalled her entry. With a deep breath she took her first step inside, letting out a sigh as nothing happened to her relief.

The shinigami wandering around the area started at her. Some knew the new recruits had some late stragglers and were staring merely because of the state of her attire.

"Umm… excuse me. Would someone be able to direct me to Histugya-taichou's office?" She asked hopefully.

"I can help you with that~." A voice chimed.

A busty woman appeared from the back of the courtyard and made a bee-line straight for her. "You must be one of the late ones right? I'm Matsumoto Rangiku, your new fukutaichou." She smiled.

"I-I'm To Mei-yin." Mei-yin stammered, a little nervous.

"You look like a mess. Come with me and we'll get you your Shihakusho." Matsumoto smiled before pivoting around and walking in the other direction.

"Hai!" Mei-yin nodded following behind the fukutaichou.

Matsumoto led her to a small room with a changing screen in the back. "Welcome to my personal closet~ Also known as the Shihakusho storage room!" She explained. "Only me and Taichou can open the door and since there was so much extra space I put some of my clothes in there too. Don't tell him though. He doesn't know yet since he hardly comes in here."

Mei-yin nodded slowly hoping she would never be questioned about it.

Mastumoto closed the door behind them and shoved Mei-yin behind the screen. "Now get rid of that old rag and try these on."

Several different sized shihakushos were shoved into her arms by the eccentric lieutenant.

"H-hai."

Mei-yin tried on the uniforms until she found a size to her liking. "Am I allowed to add things to this?" She asked Matsumoto.

"Of course! Almost everyone makes modifications to their uniforms at some point. As long as you can still tell you're wearing it you're fine. I think." She nodded.

Mei-yin smiled and thanked her before putting the rest of the uniforms back where they belong. She took two others of the same size after Matsumoto pointed out she would need at least three and proceeded to follow her out the door.

Matsumoto pulled out a piece of paper that was tucked inside the top of her uniform and started to scan along the page. "AH! Found it."

She swiveled around to face Mei-yin. "This is your address so don't forget it. I'll show you where it's to. It's a little farther from here but you can shunpo right?"

Mei-yin nodded.

"Great. Then follow me. It should only take a moment."

* * *

By the time Mei-yin finally found the right room it was almost sundown. Matsumoto had led her to the building but had been called away to a SWA meeting that was apparently very important. "I wonder what SWA even stands for…" She murmured as she stared down at the sheet she was handed before the fukutaichou had run off.

It was a basic information sheet to be used for her official file. Most of the stuff was already filled in from the academy but there were little details that needed to be added in such as her ranking and zanpakuto information. She knew the former had to be filled in later tomorrow after her evaluation. It was the information in the latter she knew she would be questioned about.

Mei-yin let out a sigh and placed the sheet on the stand next to her bed. The place she was staying in reminded her of a small apartment of sorts. The room had a bed along the back wall under the window and a kotatsu in the center of the room. A small cupboard fridge and stove were in the left corner opposite the bed and a door leading to a small bathroom was on the right.

"I suppose I should get some sleep for tomorrow." She said to no one in particular as she undressed.

She pulled on a set of pj's she had received a long time ago and slipped into bed. It seemed that most of her belongings had been moved here for her already, including her quilt that she had made with obaachan. She assumed it was probably Toshirou's doing. If that was the case he was probably getting ready to get rid of the house now that no one was living in it anymore.

"Stop thinking about such things…." she whispered to herself before asking Kyo to make her fall asleep.

* * *

The sun shone brightly through the windows as Toshirou finished the last of his paperwork.

"But taiiichouuu….! It's so sunny outside! It's the perfect time to throw a party!" Matsumoto begged.

"No." Toshirou deadpanned. "Besides, don't you still have stacks of paperwork to do?" He asked, pointing to the hidden stacks on the top of the bookshelf.

"I figured you wouldn't be tall enough to see those…" Matsumoto mumbled.

"What was that?" He growled.

"Nothing Taichou!" Matsumoto chuckled nervously as she fetched the paperwork.

"I expect it to be done by the time I get back, Matsumoto." He ordered before leaving his office.

Once she was sure he was gone Matsumoto pulled out a bottle of sake from his desk and let out a sigh. "Time to call Hisagi and Kira~"

In the division barracks Mei-yin was making herself some tea when there was a knock at the door. She moved to answer it quickly hoping it was Yuugi. The person behind it was Toshirou however.

"Ah. Ohayo Hitsugaya-taichou." She smiled, moving aside to let him in. "Would you like some tea? I just made some."

"Hai." He nodded taking the cup. "Arigato."

Mei-yin sat down at the table with her own cup of tea and the sheet she had filled out the night before. "I assume you're here for this?" She asked him.

"That's one of the reasons." He nodded. He picked up the sheet and read over the new information.  
"You've achieved Shikai? Why isn't your Zanpakuto's name here if that's the case?"

He noticed that she seemed a little nervous as soon as the words left his mouth. "Or is it that you're just putting it down to impress me?"

"Do I have to fill it in?" Mei-yin asked quietly.

"If you know it then yes. We have all zanpakuto listed on file with their affiliated shinigami. If they don't have a name then a description is placed there until they have one." He explained.

Mei-yin remained silent for a while before suddenly getting up and moving towards her bed. She picked up her zanpakuto hesitantly, shielding it from view.

"I don't think I have to tell you his name for you to recognize him." she said, laying her zanpakuto on the table.

She saw his eyes widen at the sight of it. "That's…." he gasped.

"Kyoka Suigetsu." She finished for him. "It's the same Zanpakuto Aizen wields, but at the same time different." She explained. "Kyoka has told me that his soul is now split in two but still the same. Like how a inner hollow forms in a shinigami. The Hogyoku has warped the half aligned with Aizen against his will."  
"He told me everything about Aizen after the attack. I knew he had another wielder before me but I had no idea it was him. Kyo told me about the rule as well. The one about the dual wielders." She said quietly. "I don't want to be exiled, or imprisoned."

Toshirou nodded, not knowing what to say.

"You don't have to worry about exile and imprisonment." He began. "As that is not the consequence of wielding the same zanpakuto as another. The true method of dealing with this kind of thing is to have both wielders fight to determine the true owner. The loser is then killed." His voice was heavy and carried an air of sadness with it. "I don't know what will happen now that there is no longer a central 46 and with the fact that the other wielder is a traitor. But I do know that as of right now you no longer know shikai." He told her. "And it will remain that way until we can figure out a solution."

"Hai taichou." Mei-yin nodded, sighing in relief. "Thank you. I-I mean, Arigato!" She turned red from embarrassment. She usually remembers what language to speak in.

"I do know how to speak English." He informed her. "And so do some others. And as for helping you, Obaachan told me to make sure you and Momo were safe. I can't do that if you're dead." 'Or kidnapped.' He noted.

The icy captain finished off the rest of his tea and looked at the sheet again. "On a related note, we are doing your evaluation today. Most likely you will get a seated position as you have shikai but since we can't say that we'll just pick another strong point." He told her. "When you're ready come meet me out in the training area."

Mei-yin nodded and quickly cleaned up before running out to catch up with the captain. He had already made it to the area and cleared everyone out by the time she arrived.

"You're not very fast, are you?" He smirked.

"Only when I want to be." She replied with a huff.

"There will be no distractions. I will give you three minutes to show me what you can do. Attack when you are ready." He instructed.

Mei-yin wasted no time as she flew at her opponent, her mind already thinking of the possible ways she could try and gain the upper hand.

Toshirou parried her attack easily. He wasn't expecting much from his new subordinate. It was a little mean of him to judge her solely on her reiryoku but it felt like she only barely had enough to be considered a shinigami. Not to mention her zanjutsu was absolutely terrible.

He parried blow after blow, sometimes attacking back and forcing her on the defensive.

"You've already wasted a whole minute showing me your sub-par skills in zanjustu. Didn't I tell you you have to impress me? Especially if you want to go on such missions." He teased.

"I guess I'll take it up a notch then." She sighed, pulling back with a shunpo.

Lifting the concealment on her reiryoku slightly she let loose a spike of reiatsu towards the captain who froze in surprise. Mei-yin smirked and took this opportunity to let loose one of her "ceros" at him.

Toshirou dodged the incoming attack just in time, having recovered from his moment of surprise. "Just how many notches do you have?" He asked in interest.

"I guess you'll have to find out." She teased, shunpoing behind him. She shot another cero at him and whispered something under her breath.

Toshirou narrowed his eyes and dodged the cero only to find himself unable to move once he landed.

"Kido is my strong point." She smiled. "So? How did I do?" Mei-yin asked as she released the beams that held him.

"That was a strong Rikujokoro. But don't get too cocky. If I was fighting you seriously then you would have been flattened merely by my reiatsu upon releasing Hyorinmaru." He said. "However, you show more skill and potential than any of the other members thus far. So you will be assigned to third seat. As your first duty you are to give this report to Yamamoto-soutaichou." He told her, pulling an envelope from his shihakusho and handing it to her.

Mei-yin took the report and left quickly after giving Toshirou another round of "thank you"s and leaving him silence in the empty training area.

Momentarily anyways.

"Taiiiiichooooooou!"

Toshirou let out a sigh and turned to face Matsumoto. "You were watching weren't you?" He growled.

"I knew you were going to give her that position. I told you so didn't I? You're so cute taichou!" She giggled.

"It had nothing to do with my relation to her! She does show skill and potential. It's also easier to keep an eye on her that way." He explained in irritation. "I hardly met the girl anyways. If it weren't for Obaachan asking me to keep an eye on her I honestly would have forgot she even existed." He sighed.

"That's not true. You remember everyone in the division!" Matsumoto argued. "You shouldn't say such mean things anyways. Next thing I know you'll be talking about me!" She pouted.

"Don't you have paperwork to do?" He asked her. "And when Mei-yin gets back have her start delivering the stacks to the divisions they need to go to. I have somewhere I need to be."

"Hai taichou…" Matsumoto groaned as she watched him shunpo away.


End file.
